Fao FrodoBeutlin, vids finally:

P

Prince33Sp4rkle

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 November 2009
Messages
6,880
Location
Leicestershire
Visit site
be nice, please everyone, iv beaten myself to a bloody pulp over them, i hate left hand, am going to chop it off becuase i really tried today not to let it do mad things and looksy, it still off on one,bah :(

am going to put a grab strap on saddle and tuck little fingers under it for a few weeks as from tomorrow, to keep them DOWN and stop left one doing its own thing.

was trying super hard not to curl him up, and think iv gone to other extreme of letting neck be too low and long at points, but thats easier to work on because he's so amenable, its me that cant get control of my body parts!

but know you wanted to see him move, so here goes nothing :) he's no warmblood, but he's so easy, and makes me smile and thats worth far more to me than ankles round ears!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vs9T815NcE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Rakwd-GRY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyohRJ92NZo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMbL7EVqlDQ

sorry they are so short, its taken me over 4 hours to just do these, flipping youtube!!!
 
I have a wayward left hand too!! So annoying isn't it?

My instructor made me ride with my hands up the other way and that helped, and she also made me cross my reins over so my left rein was in the right hand etc, certainly makes you think what your hands are doing!!
 
Last edited:
thank you, thats a lovely thing to say. i could cry though, i move so damn much :(

seahorse-thats a good idea ref crossing reins, would def make me realise i dont need to move left hand, i just do it out of habit (BAD habit that is). and if that fails, amputation it is!
 
But it's really useful to see yourself on video, isn't it? I personally get all complacent if I don't see videos of myself regularly enough!

I think the trot looks lovely, especially the last video, I don't think the neck is too long at all!
 
wow, he has one massive front end! But no i think because of his conformation he needs to have that lenth of neck otherwise he would lookd tucked up. Hes so lovely, and what are you on about... you hardly move at all!
 
thank you. got a lesson next sun so will try and get more vids, def need to do this more often.....as you say.....iv gotten complacent!

ETA-BBR, funny you should say that, i really struggle with my rein length, i feel i cannot have them ANY shorter without strangling him......but when i see pics/vids they look long, but i dont know if its the optical illusion of how long his front end is (you are right, its huuuuuuge, even an XF breastplate is on the last holes all round!), or whether they genuinely are too long and im just stuck in a rut. doesnt help that i let hands get too high if im not uber concious of it, so maybe once iv got them in a better position consistently they wont look so long.....OR it will be easier to shorten then a bit???? either way, i know i need to keep them down, with thumbs up, and i know CS appreciates my efforts because he was softer in the jaw today, and had a nice amount of proper foam.
 
Last edited:
He looks lovely and can see you've done some fantastic work with him!
I can totally sympathize with the hand thing, I have had the same kind of problem only I would very slightly twist my body witch resulted in a crazy hand!
The crossed reins worked really well but I found it was more of a strength thing in myself that just slowly improved over time and was not something I could just fix.
 
He looks lovely :) Sympathise with you about the hand, mine is my right one! I hate watching videos of me riding, but at the same time...when I get the chance to see them I can be over-honest with myself, and it all helps on the road to improvement :)

Also, I see what you mean about the reins. I think they could shorten a little bit, but then I have a feeling (judging by the videos, sorry if I'm wrong) that he may feel like curling behind the contact a bit? Either that..or I spose the slightly shortened reins might give him something to work a little more up and into. Is it worth putting say a piece of white tape or something about an inch further than where you normally hold them? Then you can keep track of how short/long they are, and see which he prefers?


Can I ask something though...how do you get him moving nice and sideways without any noticeable movement of your leg? My ex-racer can be a bit of a bugger and ignore it, so there's been a few ugly times that have involved asking him nicely and when he doesn't listen, having to turn my foot out and give him a kick with the spur...we have a tiiiiny arena though, a 15x30 or 25..it'd probably be easier to practice out in the field, so I don't have to worry about the angle, yes?

Sorry for thread hi-jacking!
 
Firstly, thanks for the videos, he's lovely! Very active and correct in his rhythm and regularity. He's a pleasure to watch. Do you mind a few comments? Not that you should pay much attention to me! But a few observations because I can't help myself LOL. ;) :D

He's rising six now, and correct in his basics, which means that you'll be in a good position to put a bit more connection over the back leading to more collection in his frame and body. Basically, more carrying of the hind leg and lateral suppleness.

You are absolutely right not to shorten the neck with the hand, but he does need to come more up to the bridle and lift the shoulder for the next step towards Medium (not the movements but the quality of collection). If you can tame the left hand (!) that will help, but also you collapse in seat a bit, making it tricky to hold the horse in collection off your seat. I know exactly what its like to have a horse with a naturally long neck. You can't hold the horse with your hands as you end up with tension and resistance, but you have to hold his body with your seat and keep the neck loose at the withers and the poll up. It is really quite hard I know! It isn't the case that you can just shorten your reins, but you have to ask the horse now to carry himself in such a way that the shoulder and withers are lifted. :)
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
thank you, thats a lovely thing to say. i could cry though, i move so damn much :(

seahorse-thats a good idea ref crossing reins, would def make me realise i dont need to move left hand, i just do it out of habit (BAD habit that is). and if that fails, amputation it is!
Click to expand...

ha ha I've often asked my instructor to chop off my left hand lol!!
 
Oh god I love him even more now that i've seen him move! If he was in Ireland i'd say Irish Thoroughbred Marketing would use him as their poster child. They are big into retraining of turbobreds! We have a gorgeous wee horse out on a break at the mo and there is a tiny part of me hoping he comes back in still not in love with racing and I'll get him to keep. We started some light dressage schooling with him to sweeten him up and he LOVES it! it did make him run better too so will just have to wait and see how he is after his holiday!
 
He's really cute - wish ours were being as calm and well behaved! You know things are bad when we are both riding with hats on!!

Anyway, vids look fine - I must have fuzzed my eyes at your left hand :) I think you need to get a bit more energy and jump in to the canter - ride for a bit more forward energy, this will make the connection to contact easier in the end, although it will prob go haywire to begin with :)
 
Oh wow he is lovely! The pics are great but the vids .... drool :)

I don't know as much as some of the others on here, but I wouldn't want to see his neck any shorter particulalry for his age/training. If you wanted to change any thing I'd say possibly 'up' more as the poll isn't always the highest point but I'd imagine that will come (as so eloquently put by Halfstep).

I have one question - when his trot gets all lovely (like in the last video) do you find it smoother/easier to sit than his 'cold' I've just come out of the stable trot? Or just different? As I've always thought that collected/medium should be easier to sit but you looked erm a bit bouncy (no offense meant to your position I just can't think of better desriptive words...).

I tend to use how 'sit-able' Beau is as a measure of how well he is working as his 'cold' trot is absolutely impossible to sit and how he looks can be very deceptive compared to what you feel.

PS The offer of a holiday in Aus for you and CS still stands! :)
 
Gorgeous as ever! I'm not going to comment other than to say I also have a wayward left hand - must be a common problem! Are we all right handed that have this issue? I also really have to work on my left shoulder positioning in lateral work as it really affects the horses ability to step though I find... so weird as I ride straight and am very supple... my left side just doesn't seem to respond to my brain commands as well :D

Felicity_09 in my 'limited' experience... when they are really using their backs, the trot is very bouncy and hard to sit to, especially the more short coupled they are! My Arab likes to go quite stiff backed with his legs doing all the moving and he is ever so comfy, whereas the WB I ride has a lovely soft swinging back and I can't even sit to her working trot yet (or so it feels like... case of don't eat before you get on he he)
 
Sorry post hijack....

Pasha - I thought it might be something like that.
Beaus cold trot has so much random movement/momentum that its totally unsit-able unless you have thighs of steel, but his 'better' trot while still hard to sit has a different bounce and is fairly-sitable. He also does the ridgid back, all the movement in the knee trot which is almost - sitable if some what jolting... :)
 
Felicity_09 said:
Sorry post hijack....

Pasha - I thought it might be something like that.
Beaus cold trot has so much random movement/momentum that its totally unsit-able unless you have thighs of steel, but his 'better' trot while still hard to sit has a different bounce and is fairly-sitable. He also does the ridgid back, all the movement in the knee trot which is almost - sitable if some what jolting... :)
Click to expand...

Sorry but I have images of my long suffering trainer head in hands screaming at me to stop gripping with my things and to sit on my bum! lol! Regardless of how bouncy, if you're on your bum, you should be ok!

I never ever sit when they're cold... always rise first (well lunging first actually in this freezing weather as I am not a rodeo cowboy thank you very much!) and tend to do little bits then back to rising first to get us both warmed up before attempting any real sitting work... I do have very sensitive Arabs and a very sensitive mare though who love to buckaroo :eek:
 
He looks lovely :) And dont beat yourself up about your position, no one is perfect and yours is pretty good anyway :)

I would suggest putting white tape round your reins so you hold them level, they need to be shorter so you can carry your hands forwards so then he can come more active from behind and up into the bridle. He is (in the videos) a little ''lacking'' behind which is making him a bit on the forehand, even if you are long and low there should still be lift up through the shoulder and increased impulsion/activity behind. Canter is lovely and ground covering :) But agree with FMC in that it needs more jump to it.
 
thank you all, comments are always welcome :)

will get the tape out too-is it that my left shoulder is creeping back, so left rein gets longer, an left hand draws back? or is it just a hand issue, iv watched vids over and over and cant make up my mind....left shoulder def seems to lack the *tone/control* of the right one????

he isnt bouncy in that he bumps me up and down, but his back and shoulder move a lot, its like sitting on a wave if that makes sense? so a lof of movement, but in a flowing way???
 
I too have a wonky left hand and ride with a crooked wrist, it really does my head in - I have to think about it all the time and as soon as I don't, it goes back to its weird position. When I school I can keep it under control but when I jump and focus on a million other things it goes back to hideous :-( I too ride with too long reins, and part of the problem I think is that I am very small on a very big horse and with the correct rein length it feels like I'm too much forward - you are tall and your horse isn't big, but he does have a very long neck so I can imagine that gives a similar feeling.

To keep myself in check I try to imagine: that my arms go all the way to the bit rings - this gives a straighter more quiet contact. Also keeping my elbows next to my ribcage all the time (within reason!) and using a slightly firmer contact than I have a tendency to do as this seems to make my reins less likely to slip.

He looks lovely though! You all qualified for Winters?
 
I just have a major issue holding onto the left rein, so it gets longer and longer... have to really concentrate to keep hold of it and have started riding in continental reins only and trying to wedge my fingers behind the stops :eek: Think it's a combi of my stronger right side and horses stiffer left side - need to find a horse that is crooked the other way and then we'd even up lol!
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
thank you all, comments are always welcome :)

will get the tape out too-is it that my left shoulder is creeping back, so left rein gets longer, an left hand draws back? or is it just a hand issue, iv watched vids over and over and cant make up my mind....left shoulder def seems to lack the *tone/control* of the right one????
Click to expand...

I think its more that you need to get your reins shorter - once your reins are shorter and your hand slightly more forwards then you will stop the wrist curling, as curling is only because the reins are too long (i used to do it and thats what my instructor told me, as soon as i shorten the reins i had to wild left hand and no curling - my left hand was slightly wayward too :D )
 
It looks as though the left rein is his stiff side? you appear to be bringing him round with the inside rein as he is stiffer this way, you need more inside leg and bring his shoulder round with your outside thigh slightly more forward, In the first video it looked as though as soon as you 'gave' on the inside rein he popped forward onto his nose. I expect on the right rein his 'soft side' he offers too much bend so it's easy for you to keep the correct inside rein.
I would do spiralling work on the left rein making sure he is consistently into the outside rein, your left shoulder is not too far back, once he softens into an even contact on this rein, shorten your reins and keep them there, you need to be very quick to keep your leg 'on' the second you feel him dropping behind that left rein contact.

I agree with the other posters that he needs to be pushed 'up' with your leg into a more uphill trot and canter, he does seem to have become a bit long.

But as usual PS he looks relaxed and well, and you are doing him proud.
 
I really like his trot :D

I'm not going to give CC as I'm not good enough :p In fact I need to get some more vids to put on here to get some CC myself. However, I do understand what HS, FMC and Tempi are saying.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top